Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz are about to share the court at the US Open, but the unexpected pairing has already raised plenty of questions among tennis fans.

Williams will make her first US Open appearance since 2022 after receiving a wild card to play mixed doubles with Alcaraz. The Spaniard, meanwhile, is returning from a four-month absence caused by a right wrist injury before attempting to defend his singles title.

The US Open Tennis introduced the pairing with a simple message on X: “Two Champions. One team.”

The announcement may have created plenty of buzz, but not everyone is convinced the partnership makes sense. Several fans questioned the decision in the comment section of the US Open's X post on August 22.

Serena had originally been expected to play alongside her sister Venus, but a knee problem ruled Venus out and opened the door for the unexpected partnership with Alcaraz.

Williams brings plenty of mixed-doubles experience to the partnership, having won the US Open and Wimbledon mixed doubles titles with Max Mirnyi in 1998.

Alcaraz has seven Grand Slam singles titles and completed his career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open earlier this year, being the youngest to do so.

Tennis fans aren’t sold on the Serena-Alcaraz pairing

The same US Open post quickly drew reactions on X, with some fans questioning whether the partnership makes sense from a competitive standpoint.

A fan reacted, “Not sure the world's number one needs to partner a retired player just to make mixed doubles look interesting. I'd rather watch a frame of snooker.”

The fan questioned whether Alcaraz really needed the partnership, particularly with his attention now turning toward his singles return.

A fan wrote, “mixing two totally different sports to dirty the image of tennis, good job.”

The comment aimed at the pairing itself, with the fan clearly unimpressed by the crossover appeal surrounding the two stars.

A fan added, “It’s an exhibition tournament. You blocked out 90% of the doubles specialists from the event. Nobody takes it seriously."

The reaction questioned the event's competitive value and whether the star pairing came at the expense of doubles specialists.

A fan said, “This pairing is forced, and dumb everyone hyping it looks desperate af”

The fan dismissed the partnership as manufactured, suggesting the excitement around Serena and Alcaraz was being driven more by hype than the tennis itself.

One fan thinks, “Carlos, I have to ask: is it really worth playing these ridiculous games?”

This comment again questioned whether mixed doubles is the right choice for Alcaraz while he works his way back from injury.

The Serena-Alcaraz pairing has certainly delivered one thing before either player steps on court: attention.

Whether that attention translates into excitement once the matches begin will be the bigger question, particularly with Alcaraz returning from injury and preparing to defend his singles title.

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Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Kapil Manghnani brings over 4.5 years of experience in sports journalism, covering a wide range of sports, including Soccer, NHL, Tennis, Gymnastics, NASCAR, Swimming, and more. He has written for leading sports platforms, producing everything from breaking news and features to in-depth analysis, opinion pieces, long-form stories, and short-form content. Beyond articles, he has also scripted long-form storytelling videos for YouTube channels. His work focuses on delivering well-researched, engaging, and reader-first sports content across multiple formats.

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Edited by

Rudra Dubey